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Psalm 90 Bible study: Teach us to count our days
Psalm 90 is the only psalm whose title names Moses, and it opens the fourth part of the book: God before the mountains, people like grass that lasts a day. The God who tells people "Return" (90:3) is asked, with the same Hebrew verb, "Relent, LORD!" (90:13), and the prayer ends asking, twice, "establish the work of our hands" (90:17).
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“So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Psalm 90:4 says a thousand years in God's sight are like yesterday when it is past.”
Is that in Psalm 90, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
A prayer by Moses, at the start of a new part
The WEB prints the title at the start of the first verse: "A Prayer by Moses, the man of God." (90:1). It is the only psalm whose title names Moses. The same words, "Moses the man of God", come in Moses' blessing (Deuteronomy 33:1) and in Caleb's mouth (Joshua 14:6), and Deuteronomy 33's notes follow them. The title doesn't say when the prayer was prayed, and these notes don't either. The introduction divides the book into five parts at four places where a psalm closes by blessing the LORD, with an amen (Psalm 41:13, 72:18-19, 89:52, 106:48), and this psalm opens the fourth, which runs to "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting!" (Psalm 106:48). The Psalms name Moses in eight verses, and seven of them fall in this fourth part (Psalm 90:1, 99:6, 103:7, 105:26, 106:16, 106:23, 106:32); the other is "You led your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron" (Psalm 77:20).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 90
- The title says "A Prayer by Moses, the man of God" (90:1). Is this Moses of Exodus, and when did he pray it?
- "You turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”" (90:3). Return to what?
- "The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years" (90:10). Is that a promise, or a rule for how long we live?
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 90 is waiting in Favor
- God before the mountains, people like grass
- Anger, and our secret sins
- "Teach us", "Relent", "Establish"
- Words the Law gives to Moses
- Fear, then wisdom
- 7 questions as you read
- 11 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 90 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
מָעוֹןma'onsay ma-OHN
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "dwelling, habitation". Strong's: "an abode, of God (the Tabernacle or the Temple), men (their home) or animals (their lair)". "Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations" (90:1). Here the dwelling place is not a house or a temple but the Lord himself. The next psalm has the word the same way: "Because you have made the LORD your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place" (Psalm 91:9). The Psalms have it five times in Hebrew; Psalm 26's notes follow it in "the habitation of your house" (Psalm 26:8). Moses' blessing has a related word, me'onah, in "The eternal God is your dwelling place" (Deuteronomy 33:27).
For your group
Psalm 90 Bible study questions
- 1"Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations" (90:1). What would it look like this week to treat God as your home?
- 2"So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (90:12). If you counted your days this way, what would you spend more of them on, and what less?
- 3"Establish the work of our hands for us" (90:17). What work of your hands would you most want God to establish, and why?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 90 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Psalm 90 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 90 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home